That Silent Toast
by Martianlightsaber
Summary: Robert and Solidad are the 2 hottest contenders for the Johto Ribbon Cup.  As they plot how to outdo each other, they realise that the competition isn't the only reason they're studying each other.  GFChampshipping Robert x Solidad, some Contestshipping.
1. Chapter 1

_That Silent Toast_

A/N: This is sort of a sequel to the oneshot "What it Takes to be the Top", else the meaning of the title is kind of lost.

Chapter 1

It had been a week since they had all arrived in Johto; a week since that silent toast aboard the S.S. Aquaria. The coordinators had bade each other goodbye as they scattered from Olivine city, each taking their own route around Johto to collect their five contest ribbons to make it to the Grand Festival. Solidad had watched as her enthusiastic young friends had dashed off in different directions, May opting to travel with her new friend Caitlin to Azalea and Drew making his typical solitary way toward Cherrygrove. Harley had decided to keep his destination as much a mystery as his dress sense and Grace decided to hang around in Olivine to train. However, there was one person she had wanted to keep tabs on, and he had already disappeared without a trace.

"Good job Pidgeot, return," she commanded as she landed gracefully in Violet city. It was always a good idea to stay away from your toughest rivals in your first few contests – you needed the ribbons to boost your confidence for when you eventually had to face them. But lacking information on her fiercest contender, Solidad had had no choice but to take her chances in the Violet city contest. It had been a long while since she had lost a contest, but she knew that a new region came with new risks, so she braced herself for any possible outcome. The contest was in two days, and in that time, she would have more than enough opportunities to survey the competition.

Acting nonchalant, Solidad made her way to the historic Sprout Tower after leaving her pokemon to rest at the Pokemon Center. It was a place imbued with historical flavor and an air of mystery intensified by the soft swaying of the floors. She bowed to the passing sages in reverence as she made her way to the upper levels, eager to get a good view of the city in the serenity of the setting sun. On her way up, she recognized a few familiar faces she had seen aboard the S.S. Aquaria, calling out friendly greetings and making mental notes of the battling styles she had seen them use during friendly matches aboard the cruise. As she reached the top, she found herself mesmerized by the tall figure silhouetted against the flaming orange sky. Standing upright with his hands clasped behind him, she would have thought him tense if she didn't already know that it was just his nature to be prim. Her inner insecure self cringed when the recognition set in, but she calmly approached the figure, wordlessly resting her arms on the railings beside him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said simply.

It wasn't so much a question as a statement. She let the gentle breeze sweep past them, taking in the sweet scent of the nearby forest and allowing her senses to absorb the scene before her. She had hoped that Robert would not be at her first contest. Having never battled him before, nor watched very many of his matches, she could not devise a foolproof strategy beforehand. This contest would be a test of her wit and speed unlike any other she had had in years.

"Yes it is," she replied, turning to glance at her unlikely companion. His chiseled features were accentuated by the contrast of shadow in the fading light, and his long blond hair being tossed by the breeze gave him an aura of distance and wisdom, despite his relative youth. A few years ago when she was still an impulsive teenager, if anyone had told her that she would be watching the sunset, enjoying a companionable silence with a quiet and reserved Englishman, she would have laughed in their face. Then again, a lot of things had changed since then. When she turned back toward the distant horizon, she could feel his eyes on her, though she was never able to tell how the cogs were working in his mind. The vermillion glow of the atmosphere lit her hair in an almost magical way, softening her serious features and showing her for the young twenty-two-year-old that she was. He gave a silent chuckle as he contemplated the intrigue of it all. He considered that just maybe, analyzing the competition wasn't the only reason he wanted to get a glimpse of the person behind the mask of 'Top Coordinator of Kanto'.

As the fiery orb sank beneath the horizon, he turned to leave, bidding her a good evening and good luck in the upcoming contest, leaving her to brood a little while longer before making her own way back to the inn where she was staying the night. She flopped unceremoniously onto the covers of her bed, bracing herself for a long day of training ahead before surrendering to slumber.

* * *

"Claydol, hyperbeam." 

"Butterfree, protect!"

The hyperbeam was deflected in the nick of time, leaving both pokemon unharmed, but extremely exhausted.

Contest day had dawned bright and early with eager coordinators and pokemon gathered to take the stage. After an afternoon's appeals and battles, there had been no surprise as to who the final two contenders were. The MC, Gillian, was beside herself with excitement as she did a play by play of the fierce battle between the two ribbon cup winners. It was down to the last 30 seconds and neither side had lost very many points, each having expertly dodged the other's ruthless yet graceful attacks.

"Let's go with sandstorm, Claydol."

"Turn the sandstorm back on them with psychic!"

There were 15 seconds on the clock and neither side was winning. As Butterfree forced the towering pillar of sand back to the other side of the arena, Claydol emerged from the vortex, landing a heavy blow with headbutt without needing a word from its trainer. Winded but still ready to fight, Butterfree recovered itself just as the timer ran out.

"That was one intense battle, ladies and gentlemen, but let's see who the winner is! And it looks like this contest goes to Robert by little more than a sliver of points!"

The crowd burst into applause, with equal numbers chanting each coordinator's name, a standing ovation for a spectacular battle. Solidad gamely recalled her Butterfree after praising it for a job well done, taking her loss in stride and congratulating Robert on his victory. She had hoped that the years of experience she had had dealing with different opponents' strategies would give her an edge, but unfortunately this was something that he too possessed, with a few added years under his belt. There was always a great deal to be learnt from a loss, and standing on the battlefield faced with such a powerful opponent, she understood why her young green-haired friend had completely lost his nerve.

She sat at a nearby café, absently stirring a cup of coffee as she replayed the entire battle in her head. What differentiated them was how his pokemon were able to orchestrate a complex series of moves without his command, while hers relied fully on her call, particularly in offense. This gave him an element of surprise which enabled him to push his opponents' points down, no matter how strong they were. Turning this observation over in her head, Solidad struggled to find a loophole in his strategy – short of learning how to a mind-read, there was no way she could overcome the disadvantage. Unless…

Struck by the sudden inspiration, she swigged the remains of her coffee and made a beeline for the pokemon center to retrieve her pokemon and work on her new strategy.

* * *

A/N: Reviews please! Particularly for language and whether the story is boring etc. Just don't flame the pairing lol. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As with any good coordinator, whatever Solidad could win with old tricks, she did. New strategies, new pokemon and new tricks were reserved specially for desperate situations, and she had not encountered those over the course of her training after her loss in Violet city. It had become routine for her to expect to collect her five ribbons with at least 5 months remaining to the Grand Festival, allowing her to fine-tune her skills and match every offensive she had encountered in her contests to a perfect defensive strategy. This time however, the opening contest of the season had passed her by, and it did little to boost her confidence.

To her surprise, she had managed to catch Robert before he departed the day after the Violet city contest. Offering a truce, she suggested that they take different routes through Johto, if only to not get in each others' way of making it to the Grand Festival. She had initially berated herself for even considering offering this truce, thinking that it made her seem like a scared little girl. But after the short conversation, she knew that he too recognized that the battle could have swung either way the previous day, and it would benefit neither of them to constantly be clashing. Congratulating him again for his win, she turned to leave for Goldenrod.

"Solidad, would you grant me the privilege of a friendly battle should we meet along the way?"

"Of course."

With that, she had flown off to her next destination, determined to win the next contest.

As luck would have it, her 'old buddy Harley' was participating in the Goldenrod contest and it was difficult to train with him popping up randomly to squeal fake compliments about her pokemons' abilities. After taking him down in a battle and asking him for some peace as a reward for her win, she slumped against the nearest tree trunk, mentally exhausted from dealing with overly powerful rivals and psychologically-unstable 'friends' within the short span of two weeks. Releasing her four pokemon, she let them relax under the tree at their training spot a short distance from the city center as the cool of evening washed over the countryside and the city lights started blinking on.

"Hi!" The voice of a young girl snapped her back to consciousness as she realized she had been dozing for some time. She looked up to find the familiar young brunette smiling at her and invited her to sit down beside her.

"Hi May, where's Caitlin?"

"Oh she went to register for the contest."

"Aren't you taking part?"

"Nope," she replied, a flicker of sadness in her eyes, "my Beautifly and Squirtle took quite a hit when we were escaping from Team Geo today so I'd rather let them rest…"

Solidad didn't know whether she had expected this or not but trouble always seemed to find the young coordinator. From what Drew had told her, the trouble could often double whenever Ash and gang were around and it made her slightly worried for the young girl's safety, especially now that both traveling companions were female. Deciding not to comment on it, she put a comforting hand on May's shoulder.

"All that matters is that you girls are safe and that you care for your pokemon. I'm sure you'll do well in your next contest."

May nodded, smiling appreciatively at the older girl whom she had come to view as a mentor and idol.

"Oh and May, try not to go looking for trouble all the time!" Solidad added with a small laugh, helping May up and returning all her pokemon. "It's late; we better head back to the city."

* * *

"And let's invite the finalists up on stage! From his victory on stage one, we have Harley! And blowing the competition away on stage two, we have Solidad!"

"I'm not going easy on you this time hun! Go Cacturne!"

Solidad had known that Harley's 'match' the previous day was really more to rile her up than to do any battling practice. She had to admit though, that he had improved considerably since the Kanto Grand Festival and his semifinals battle in the Goldenrod contest had been pretty breathtaking. Nevertheless, she was confident that she'd be able to take down her opponent despite the disturbing fact that he was dressed as… her. It was a good time to practice the strategy she had developed after the Violet city contest, but decided not to be too showy about it.

"Alright Pidgeot, let's go!"

The contest battle proceeded like a ballet with pyrotechnics, as both pokemon weaved around each other, shooting and dodging attacks, occasionally scoring a hit but otherwise dancing around the stage unharmed in an elaborate display of flexibility and skill. Solidad had kept up her running string of commands as she always had, hoping to take the Cacturne down before the time ran out. But with one minute left on the clock and seeing that this wasn't working, she fell back on the tactic she had used against May in the Kanto quarter finals, ceasing her attack and waiting for Harley to make the first move.

"Alright my darling Cacturne, surround them with cotton spore and rain in with bullet seed!"

Solidad smirked as she heard the crowd starting to panic when she didn't call a defense. At the last second, Pidgeot escaped the attack with Agility as Solidad called the move at the same time, hoping to camouflage the silent defense. Pidgeot reappeared not two feet from Cacturne, allowing Solidad to call a solid close-range steel wing, effectively knocking Cacturne out.

"And the judges call a battle off for Cacturne! The Goldenrod contest ribbon goes to Pidgeot and Solidad!"

Recalling their pokemon, Solidad quickly grabbed Harley's hand in a firm handshake before the latter could start throwing a temper tantrum and tearing his hair out. She whispered something into his ear, throwing a look at the spot in the audience where May and Caitlin were now seated, and grinned as Harley miraculously forgot all about his loss and bounded off the stage with a hop, skip and a pirouette. She graciously accepted the ribbon and disappeared from the contest hall before several of her adoring fans could accost her for autographs. She was actually pretty okay talking to her female fans, but she'd had enough of dealing with Brock back in Pewter to really want to go through that again with her other male fans.

Once in the safety of her hotel room, she again did a mental replay of the afternoon's contest: so her pokemon could pull off the self-defense without very much problem, she thought. This head-on attack had been an elementary dodge, but at least it was a start to learning to dodge surprise offense moves. Not only was it a dodge, but a way of getting closer to the opponent before they realized it, buying their team precious time to make an attack that would otherwise have been evaded. She knew that Pidgeot and Butterfree were the only pokemon on her team capable of such speed moves, so she still had a lot of training to do if she wanted to perfect the technique with Lapras and Slowbro. She only hoped that the pre-empted move of her pokemon was not evident in the telecast of the contest.

Satisfied that she was finally in possession of her first Johto ribbon, Solidad slipped into a light slumber, eased by the knowledge that she had not lost her touch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was the middle of her fifth month in Johto and Solidad was feeling rather pleased with her progress. She had already won four ribbons and was heading toward her fifth in Mahogany Town. With the usual five months between then and the Grand Festival, she traveled with renewed confidence. She had found it rather odd that she hadn't met any of her friends since the Goldenrod contest, but she put it down to coincidence that their paths had never crossed. After all, everyone was concentrating on earning their ribbons and 'friendly reunion' was never a top priority on anyone's schedules.

Absorbed in perusing the quaint architecture of the town's buildings, Solidad did an apologetic double-take as her shoulder apparently connected with some poor unsuspecting person's head. She offered a quick apology before she realized who her 'victim' was.

"Solidad? Nice to finally see you around," exclaimed Drew, with none of the usual sarcasm. She was, after all, a respected senior, and it simply didn't do to taunt or insult the top coordinator from a well-known region.

"It's nice to see you too Drew. Are you entered in tomorrow's Mahogany contest? It's an R3."

"Of course," he replied simply, flicking open his ribbon case to reveal 3 ribbons, looking almost like a happy son showing off a 100 math test score to his mother.

"Good job," Solidad complimented, knowing that despite the teen's self-confident appearance, he did need reassurance from another source once in a while.

"May's here too by the way. I saw her at the pokemon center this morning, but Caitlin isn't competing."

"Wow, looks like May's doing well too."

"I'm surprised she already got three ribbons with those cheesy appeals," he sneered, a bit of his arrogant side resurfacing. He couldn't help it when it came to May, taunting her was just too fun. Solidad did nothing but giggle, knowing his crush on the girl, and wisely decided to withhold her own teasing till after the contest.

"Well, good luck in the contest Drew, I'm not going easy on you because you're a friend, and you can tell May that too."

"I'll be winning this time Solidad!"

With a wink, she walked off to find the five-star Glacier Hotel, deciding that it couldn't hurt to pamper herself a bit after five months of bunking at bed & breakfasts and pokemon centers. Admiring the sparkling glamour of the hotel lobby, she verily stopped short as she recognized the figure at the reception desk. That posture was just unmistakable.

"Robert?"

"Ah, Solidad, it's a pleasure to see you again. I know what you're thinking; I am not entered in tomorrow's contest."

Slightly taken aback that he had replied her before she had even had the chance to ask the question, she remained silent and gave him a questioning look, prompting him for an elaboration of what he was doing in Mahogany Town during the contest period if not to participate in the contest.

"Well, ah-" he began, looking somewhat guilty; "I've already won my fifth ribbon. But the contest committee hadn't prepared the Grand Festival package yet so they asked me to attend the next contest to collect it."

'Oh,' was all she could think. He had sped through that sentence so fast that it took some time for her to register its meaning. She wasn't particularly disappointed that he had beaten her to it; after all, going different routes, it was inevitable that one of them would complete the task before the other. What did ruffle her feathers was that this was the first time she had seen him lose his composure, over something as trivial as telling her how many ribbons he had. It would have interested her to figure out why that was so, but it being one day before the contest for her final ribbon, she felt that she had better things to do than to decipher her rival's idiosyncrasies if they weren't directly related to battle.

"Well congratulations, with any luck I'll be collecting mine tomorrow too," she replied cheerily as she approached the reception desk for her own room. Grabbing her key, she waved a quick goodbye before leaving the hotel to find a spot to train. Now knowing who her likely opponents and audience were, she swore lightly as she realized that she'd have to employ a different strategy from the usual one she'd been using in the past three contests. Releasing her pokemon, she got right down to it.

"Alright everyone, let's _train_."

* * *

The Mahogany Town contest was turning out to be quite a spectacular show. At the R3 level only 5 short months into the contest season, it was evident that only the best were able to compete. Unusually enough, this contest also had a quarter finals stage, allowing eight contestants to enter the battles. Drew and Solidad had sailed through the appeals with May making it in at a respectable fifth place. The other second stage competitors were coordinators Solidad had come to remember from her other contests as well as aboard the S.S. Aquaria:

Michael – an elderly gentleman with an adorable but powerful Growlithe

Rafael – an 18-year-old Brazilian with the most outrageously outfitted Ludicolo

Aiqing – a petite but focused Chinese lady with a graceful Umbreon

Atlanta – who bore a startling resemblance to the Sensational sisters and sported a Luvdisc

Miranda – a pop star wannabe who loved pampering her Jigglypuff

The three friends were thankful that none of them had been pitted against each other in the quarter finals, giving them the little bit of extra motivation to take their opponents down just for the chance of facing off with their long-time friends and rivals in the semi-finals. The battles were grueling and as each stage completed their matches, the screen showed the match-ups of the remaining contestants. It was May versus Drew and Solidad versus Aiqing.

Sitting in the waiting room watching May and Drew's battle, Solidad couldn't help but be awed by her young friends' performance. They had grown so much since she had first met them, especially Drew. Although he hadn't changed outwardly, his confident stance was now complemented by a true aura of control. He calmly countered everything that May threw at him and was quick to recover from any of her surprises. May was as impulsive as ever and her power had definitely grown. She had come up with a plethora of imaginative attacks, but she still lacked the ability to control the pace of the battle, and that was what eventually gave Drew the victory.

Solidad's own battle with Aiqing was equally trying. They were matched in strength, but she knew that the tricks she'd been using for the past few years would be sufficient to see her through. By setting the pace of the battle, she had eventually lowered her opponent's points sufficiently to see her through to the next round.

"And now let's give it up for Drew and Solidad!"

"Looks like it's me against you again right Drew?"

"I'll win this time Solidad," he replied with a flick of his hair. Perhaps this was the time to test how much he had learned here in Johto. He had always been a worthy opponent in strength, but she looked forward to the day he could equal her in strategy.

"And begin!"

She started with and all-out attack. With a range of unusual attacks, her Slowbro was often a surprise to her opponents who thought that they could get away with a type advantage. She watched as Drew deflected all but the most sudden attacks, lowering her points slightly. At the 3 minute mark, just as suddenly as she had started, she stopped. Slightly stunned by the change in pace, Drew too stopped and watched. He ventured an offense only to have it turned back against him and having to dodge it awkwardly. Pokemon and trainer alike eyed each other, as though taunting the other to make the first move.

Solidad could almost taste the tension in the air. Her Slowbro's clueless exterior and Drew's Roselia calmly poised in a ballerina's pose betrayed neither trainer's burning desire to win. Clearly the teen had learned fast. But there was much at stake and she had seen all that she had wanted to see in her battle against Drew. As the clock passed the 2 minute mark, she resumed her ruthless offensive, cornering Roselia into a desperate defensive which could no longer count for lost points. Roselia collapsed just as the timer hit zero, winning Solidad her fifth ribbon and making her the second person in Johto to gain entry into the Johto Grand Festival.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Mahogany Town contest had been an excellent closing match for Solidad, who was now all geared up for her five-month exploration-cum-training regime. After he had lost the finals, Drew had been the good sport that he'd always been and congratulated her on the win, but vowed once again that he'll be training harder and will beat her next time. May had been sulking in the stands, having lost to Drew again (she said it was probably the sixth or seventh time) and was busy asking Caitlin to help her figure out what her problem was. Robert had disappeared again, even though she had seen him in the audience during the battles.

Settled comfortably outside the contest hall, Solidad was giving her pokemon a feast in celebration of their victory. The receptionist had told her that the Grand Festival package would only be ready later in the day, so she had decided to stay nearby to enjoy herself. In the distance she could see May, Drew and Caitlin chatting, or rather Drew was taunting May who was getting annoyed and Caitlin was trying to act as a mediator. As May was about to explode into Drew's face, he had somehow managed to procure a rose and stuff it in her line of vision before the final explosion came, causing her to sputter lamely to a stop.

"Congratulations on the excellent battle today. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of collecting your package for you."

Solidad turned from her kneeling position on the ground to find Robert holding an envelope out to her and smiling lopsidedly as he watched the younger coordinators in their exchange.

"Our young friend there sure has a peculiar way of flirting with the lass."

Solidad raised a questioning eyebrow as she stood to face him, at the same time nodding her thanks for the package. He seemed to have picked up on the group dynamics pretty quickly.

"Well it is sort of obvious," he clarified, clearly tickled by the picture of Caitlin holding May back by the upper arms as she attempted to strangle Drew for whatever it was he had just said. Solidad chuckled too, and decided that since she was in a celebratory mood, she'd have a little fun of her own.

"Speaking from experience are we?"

She wasn't sure how her rival would respond to such a cheeky statement and was rather curious to see his response. She thought that it'd perhaps be a calm denial or a shrug, maybe even a violent coughing fit if she stretched her imagination enough. What she didn't expect was to have to have the tongue-in-cheek response thrown back at her.

"Perhaps," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows, which contorted his normally serious features in a rather comical manner.

"Sure!" was all she could cough out before surrendering to a fit of giggles as the bottled up happiness from her earlier victory bubbled over, catalyzed by this strange and hilarious response.

By this time the teens had noticed the two older coordinators standing outside the contest hall and had already made their way toward them. May and Caitlin looked quizzically at the still-giggling Solidad while Drew eyed the envelopes in both their hands.

"I'm afraid Solidad is a little overcome with joy at being one of the first two to know what will be happening at the inaugural Johto Grand Festival," Robert offered sardonically, handing Drew the package to read as he nonchalantly slipped his hands into his pockets. The girls exchanged disbelieving looks and returned to looking at Solidad, who had by now recovered and was fighting to prevent a blush of embarrassment from creeping up her cheeks.

"You must admit it is exciting," she said rather uncharacteristically and proceeded to read the contents of her own envelope, careful to keep the sheets up to cover her face. She had regained her composure by the time she'd finished flipping through the new contest rules, and answered the eager questions of the two girls. May and Drew only had two more ribbons to go with five whole months left, while Caitlin was one ribbon behind but still stood an excellent chance of making it in. They hung around to chat for a while until May realized in a panic that she was supposed to call her brother to check on his journey. Caitlin smiled apologetically for the abrupt end to their conversation and took off after her friend while Drew flipped his hair, declaring that he should go too. This was not before he managed to throw a sidelong knowing glance at Solidad, indicating that he knew what was going on during that very random giggling episode. She was, after all, like an older sister to him.

Returning her pokemon to their pokeballs, Solidad took a slow walk back to the Glacier Hotel with Robert, discussing their respective plans for the coming five months until the Grand Festival.

* * *

Solidad raced out of the Ruins of Alph with her recently-caught Pichu hopping close behind. Just as she threw herself out of the cave opening, there was a brilliant flash of light before the cave entrance was sealed with large boulders.

"I _never_ want to see another Unown again for the rest of my life," she huffed, glaring at the now unrecognizable entrance.

Two months from the Grand Festival, she had decided to take a short break from training to explore the famous Ruins of Alph. She had initially been fascinated by the carvings of Unown on the walls, along with several prehistoric pokemon which she did not recognize, so was busy taking notes hoping that Professor Oak could enlighten her. However as dusk fell, she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. Pichu's excited squeals brought her attention to a stray Unown floating close to its carving and all of a sudden she was surrounded by countless Unown swirling in a hypnotizing dance.

The small cavern was being slowly transformed into a dream world as flashes of her past materialized before her eyes. Her parents (who had passed away when she was young so she lived with her aunt and uncle), the first time she had befriended Lapras, her first badge (she was a trainer before she became a coordinator), her first ribbon, her childhood friends… but slowly the images became unrecognizable. She could identify them, but she knew that they weren't from her past – a bluish-silver ribbon cup like the one she had seen in the Johto guidebook, a young red-head seated next to May's friend Ash, evidently in Professor Oak's lab, she could smell the misty air of a lake at night but she saw nothing, and the last straw came when she could distinctly feel arms around her waist, but she turned to see no one there. Had she been any younger she'd have stayed to see what more the Unown could do, and probably would not have been able to differentiate their illusions from reality. But she had come to learn that illusions, no matter how much they tugged at the heart, were always accompanied by danger. Calling a thunderbolt from her companion, she raced through the small opening in the psychic force field Pichu had managed to create and dove out of the cavern, finding herself lying flat on her belly on the dusty road.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hello Professor Oak!"

"Ah, hello Solidad, it's been a long time, you've certainly grown up!"

"Thanks Professor," she chuckled into the videophone. Perhaps she had neglected to call her old mentor in a while. "I just came from the Ruins of Alph and I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about the Unown."

"Oh, well that's one topic that hasn't come up in a while. I remember a few years back we had a spot of problem with Unown in Greenfield. Young girl named Molly was unknowingly wreaking havoc on the town when the Unown took her dreams and fantasies and turned them into reality. I think you've met Ash; he was quite involved in the whole debacle. But beyond that one incident we really don't know very much about the Unown, sorry not to be of much help Solidad."

"Dreams and fantasies huh? Well that was certainly enlightening Professor, thank you and take care!"

"My pleasure, good luck in the Johto Grand Festival!"

With that, the videophone blinked off and Solidad was left pondering what the meaning of it all was. She could understand the memories – she was immensely fond of them and had always wondered what it'd be like to have grown up with her own parents. The Ribbon Cup she could also easily comprehend, after all, which coordinator wouldn't be aiming for it? But the lake and… she shuddered to even think about it.

Still lost in thought, she wandered into the pokemon center's cafeteria and was promptly jolted out of her contemplations by a loud "SURPRISE!"

Momentarily confused, it dawned on her that it was her birthday today, an oft-forgotten date since she had begun traveling alone for gym battles and contests. She blinked to find her teenage friends gathered around one of the tables smiling, with a simple birthday cake set in the center – nothing elaborate but extremely heart-warming. She grinned and thanked them gratefully, reminiscing what it was like to still feel excited about birthdays, cake and presents. Then again, she might have expected it since she had helped Drew plan May's birthday party two weeks prior.

"Mr. Rose", as May had taken to calling him, had finally decided to be a little more obvious when he rang Solidad up asking for her help in planning a party for May. It was her fourteenth birthday, and her recently-earned fifth ribbon was even more cause for celebration. Caitlin was secretly informed of the party and she had been tasked to distract May from the pokemon center until everyone was ready. They had invited several of her other friends whom she had met during her travels and Nurse Joy had graciously allowed them to decorate the pokemon center with balloons and streamers. Unfortunately, Solidad thought, May probably never got the hint, given how much teasing Drew was doing over the course of the whole party. Solidad playfully whacked him upside the head after the party was over and he grinned sheepishly, saying that teasing her was just too much fun to resist. He was, after all, still fifteen and could be forgiven for being childish.

Back in the present, Solidad had made short work of the candles and the four of them gleefully dug into the sinful sugary confection. As they were savoring the whipped cream and strawberry-flavored dough, it occurred to Solidad that she had never told them where she'd be at this point in time, since the excitement of May's party had wiped it clean from her mind. So, she ventured to ask them how they had known.

"Well……" they began, looking at each other in half-amused, half-guilty fashion. "We… had our sources."

How odd. She'd made sure she dealt with any poor misguided paparazzi and media personnel who thought they could tail her for articles to sell in magazines. If she'd even forgotten to tell her friends where she'd be, there was only that one discussion before she had left Mahogany town… OH.

"And, he sent this since he couldn't make it," Drew smirked and flippantly slid a small package across the table after he saw the look of realization on her face. Deciding she'd examine it in the privacy of her own room, Solidad accepted it and slid it into her knapsack, wondering why she felt her heart skip a beat.

The evening passed in an uneventful manner; Solidad told her friends about what she had just witnessed at the Ruins (leaving out the last few illusions), then proceeded to join May and Drew in giving Caitlin tips on getting her final ribbon. She was pleasantly surprised when Grace showed up later that evening, which gave her the rare chance to gossip with someone her own age – the latest fashion, the festival in such and such city, the other day's coordinators' conference, the movie star who's in town, the coolest Johto pokemon etc.

It was nearly 9 o' clock by the time the girls had exhausted all possible topics of gossip. Realizing that they hadn't yet booked a room for the night, they approached Nurse Joy, only to be told that they'd have to share since the center was fully booked. Shrugging their acquiescence, they slid into the room for some peace and quiet after a long day of excitement.

Having changed into her sleep wear, Solidad rummaged in her knapsack to retrieve the package which the teens had conveyed to her earlier in the day. The palm-sized, unadorned sapphire blue box was accompanied by a note written in neat print.

_Solidad,_

_I apologize for not being able to attend the birthday gathering your friends had planned; I am regrettably stuck above Union cave and do not foresee a swift downhill trek. Hopefully this package has found its way to you safely._

_Happy Birthday_

_Robert_

She gasped when she lifted the lid to find a beautiful aquamarine pendant in the shape of a teardrop, connected to a simple silver chain with another note slipped under the gem.

_The Sea Glaze is said to have healing properties for Water and Ice pokemon and brings calm to surrounding people and pokemon. _

_Hope you will find it useful._

The Sea Glaze… she had read about it before; the stone was only found in the depths of the Arctic Ocean, believed to be the birthplace of a legendary creature of ice. It had calmed the raging ocean currents, establishing a balance between the warmer temperate regions and the harsh cold of the poles, then gone to rest, only to resurface in times of grave disaster. She raised the chain against the light, seeing the swirling colors of the pendant dance in the dim yellow light as though it were alive…

"Wow it's beautiful! Put it on!" Grace squealed as she stepped out from her shower, seeing Solidad gazing intently at the mysterious gem she had come into possession of. Humoring her friend, she let Grace help her put it on as she admired it in front of the room's small vanity. The vivid color of the pendant against her bare skin brought her eyes out and contrasted nicely with her long red hair. "Hope you will find it _useful_" she mused, wondering if he had sent it as a token of goodwill or if meant something else.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The inaugural Johto Grand Festival was a sight not to be missed. There was a distinctly festive atmosphere, with carnival stalls, trinket shops and pokemon product vendors lining the exterior of the main contest arena atop Mount Silver. The streets were mostly filled with the friends and relatives of coordinators, who had come to show their support. The coordinators themselves were hard at work with last-minute practicing, perfecting appeals and devising battle strategies. Solidad had just rounded up her training and wove through the busy streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face before the first round of appeals began, but a quick sweep of the surrounding area didn't reveal anyone.

"Hey, get back here Linoone!" came a yell from just around the corner. A Linoone had appeared, clutching a cap, with a Pikachu hot on its tail. Talk about déjà vu. Pikachu had just about successfully wrestled the cap from the pokemon snatch thief when its trainer skidded around the corner to reclaim his lost property.

"Solidad!"

"Ash, what a surprise to see you here," she greeted, genuinely surprised to see the trainer all the way in Johto.

"Great to see you too Solidad! The Sinnoh League just ended, I came in top two! Missed winning it by a bit when Fortree took a pretty heavy hit from Cynthia's Garchomp…" he spaced out a bit as he recalled his battle in the Sinnoh League finals. "But I decided to drop by anyway 'cause Misty and May are participating in the Grand Festival, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" his pokemon responded enthusiastically.

Misty. That was a new name. Ash waved his friend over from one of the stalls selling adorable little pokemon dolls to reveal the red-head Solidad had seen in her encounter with the Unown. Masking her discomfort at this revelation, she greeted Misty warmly and spent the next few minutes chatting, discovering that the Cerulean City gym leader had decided to take a break from her duties to see if coordinating was any fun. The petite 17-year-old exuded an aura of confidence despite her fair and innocent face, which concealed much of her true strength. Only after some time did Solidad recall Misty's face from several of the telecast contests she had watched via pokenav, but forgave herself for the oversight since pokenav screens weren't known for their resolution. The girl certainly knew how to handle her water pokemon and she wasn't afraid to show it.

"All coordinators please report to the main arena for the preliminary appeals. Judging for the appeals will begin in fifteen minutes."

"Guess that's our call!" Misty chirped, clearly excited to be at her first Grand Festival. Waving a hearty goodbye to Ash, she followed Solidad to the waiting rooms to prepare for the appeals. Turning to ask her new friend about the proceedings of the Grand Festival, a greenish glint from around her neck caught her eye.

"Hey! Is that a Sea Glaze? You're so lucky!" Misty exclaimed enthusiastically, trying to get a closer look at the prized gem.

"Yeah, a friend of mine gave it to me, it's been really helpful in improving my Lapras' and Slowbro's mood and grace," Solidad replied, unclasping it to let Misty see it.

"Wow, that's really nice. Wish I had a Sea Glaze, I'm sure all my water pokemon would love it…" she trailed off, turning it over and over wistfully. The call for the first contestant to do his appeals brought her back to reality and she placed the Sea Glaze delicately back in Solidad's palm.

The waiting room was so packed that Solidad hadn't had the opportunity to see her other friends until they were out on the arena making their appeals. May had procured herself a Jumpluff, which was dazzling the crowds with a variety of glittering grass moves under the glare of a Sunny Day. Drew had gone with the Masquerain which had earned him a perfect score back in Hoenn and Caitlin was doing an intriguing aerial dance routine with her Umbreon's Shadow Balls. Misty was nervous when she exited the waiting room, but none of it showed as her Azurill filled the stage with an array of spectacular waterworks, then bounced jubilantly on its own fountains and ended by launching a mini tidal wave which crashed into foam just before it hit the judges' table. Grace made her appeal with Chimecho and Harley, as usual, totally freaked everyone out with a spooky display from his new Misdreavus. Robert had used Milotic again, and was one of the few coordinators who didn't need flashy displays to make an appeal look gorgeous. Sometimes, Solidad couldn't help but wonder how he did it. Solidad herself was one of the last few to perform, using Lapras in a stunning play of water and ice.

The atmosphere was tense that evening when the results of the appeal round were flashed on screen. The Johto Grand Festival was different in that the top sixty four from the preliminary appeals proceeded to the secondary appeals where they were to use two pokemon for their appeal. Appeals would not only be judged for each pokemon's strength and grace, but also for how well they cooperated and how well the coordinator was able to meld their two separate moves into one seamless performance. Each of the experienced coordinators cheered as his or her face appeared on the screen, beginning with Robert, Soledad, Marina (A Johto native) and Drew, with May, Misty, Grace, Caitlin and Harley scattered over the rest of the sixty four places.

* * *

Solidad sank into the armchair in her dormitory, exhausted from the second day's appeals. She had used Slowbro and Butterfree, taking advantage of their common attacks to complement their individual ones. She admitted that she wasn't very cut out for this sort of appeal since this was the first year she had really been practicing. Almost every other coordinator whom she recognized from Kanto and Hoenn seemed to have trouble with the appeal style, allowing coordinators who had ventured here from Sinnoh to streak ahead in points. Caitlin had sadly not made it in, fumbling with the coordination between her Sunflora and Castform. May had barely scraped her way through to the battle round especially when she had lost control of Beautifly's Silver Wind when she tried to pair it with Squirtle's Water Gun. Harley had done surprisingly well, his Cacturne and Banette making a creepy but well-matched duo. Grace had managed to pull off an interesting sparring routine with her Medicham and Makuhita and was probably one of the better performances after Harley. Drew had put his double-battling skills to good use and managed to come up with a respectable appeal for Flygon and Roselia. Misty, like May, only just made it in because the currents that her Luvdisc and Corsola made had unexpectedly clashed and this threw them a bit off-rhythm. Even Robert seemed to have an issue with the double appeal, his Claydol and Altaria made an interesting combination, but it wasn't good enough – it wasn't the usual spectacular show that the audience was used to expecting from him.

Solidad gazed blankly out the window at the cloudy peaks of Mount Silver, not even bothering to turn when she heard the door to her dormitory open and shut. She had invited her friends over for a joint complaining session or whatever they wanted to do to feel better about the appeals, so she supposed that it was time they started streaming in.

Her first guest had muttered a quick 'hello' before sinking despondently into the couch next to the armchair she occupied, much like she had done upon her own return to the room. Solidad hadn't really cared to straighten her posture despite the identity of her companion; he probably felt the same way about the appeals after all, but she was no English girl. The door clicked open again soon after, accompanied by a high, overly-happy voice, to which both coordinators rolled their eyes. Harley had somehow managed to jump to fourth place in the secondary appeals while she and Robert had slipped to tenth and eleventh places respectively, and neither of them was particularly happy about this. May, Caitlin, Drew, Ash and Misty traipsed in about fifteen minutes after, while Solidad was busy preparing drinks for her friends, and Grace arrived last, five minutes after the teens. Misty probably looked the happiest after Harley – it was only her first Grand Festival and coordinating wasn't even her primary goal, so she was pretty happy to have just made it into the battles at thirty-first place.

"Hey guys, it isn't going to help by sitting here sulking, all that matters is that quite a lot of us made it into the battle rounds right?" Misty ventured to break the ice, careful with her wordings since Caitlin hadn't managed to make it in.

"How about a game?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"How about a game?"

Everyone turned to look at Misty expectantly, wondering what she had in mind.

"Have you guys heard of 'I've Never'?" From the blank looks, she gathered that they hadn't. "Well, it's a bit like Truth or Dare, except that in this one, we take turns to say something that we have never done before, like 'I've never gone on a date before' or something like that. We put a deck of cards in the center, and everyone who _has_ done it has to take a card. The game ends when all the cards are used up and the person with the most cards does a forfeit."

Deciding that they could use something to lighten the mood, the group of them agreed and surrounded the coffee table in the living area to start the game.

Misty: "Okay, I'll start! I've never… taken alcohol before."

The four older coordinators shrugged and took a card each, followed sheepishly by Drew who had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

May: "I've never participated in the Pokemon League before."

She was quite surprised to see just about everyone else take a card. She supposed she was one of the odd ones who hadn't actually wanted to be a trainer to begin with and had merely stumbled onto coordinating by luck.

Caitlin: "I've never been hit on before!"

She ribbed May, who turned a light shade of pink and took a card. Those with fan clubs (Drew, Robert and Solidad) were all obligated to take one, and Grace recalled May's traveling friend Brock trying to hit on her two years back. Ash was still traumatized by his second Pokemon league experience when some girl had tried to get him to go on a date with her and Misty thought likewise, remembering the several 'secret admirers' who had asked her for dates ever since she had returned to Cerulean city; and that didn't even include the two Orange Island gym leaders… In the end, only Harley remained in his seat.

Ash: "I've never gone for a dance before."

Misty, Solidad and Robert each took a card.

Drew: "I've never won the Ribbon Cup before."

Well that was… did they detect a hint of jealousy there? Solidad could swear that she and Robert were being targeted by the kids; there hadn't been a single question yet to which they had escaped the fate of the card. This suspicion grew when, by the time the deck was done, both of them had somehow amassed a collection of ten cards each while some of the others had as few as three. Calmly awaiting their doom, Robert and Solidad watched amusedly as their younger friends, joined by Grace and Harley, squabbled over the best form of torture to put them both through. Caitlin declared a brainwave and everyone huddled together to hear it out. Drew concluded the secret meeting with a casual flip of his hair while Misty announced the outcome:

"It's already nine so we'll finalize the details some other time and tell you guys before the Grand Festival is over!"

With that, they bade each other goodnight and caused a slight commotion as they all left the dormitory together, chattering away, and leaving two very bewildered top coordinators in their wake.

"I smell a rat."

"So do I, but it's all in good fun after all," Robert replied, chuckling. "Thank you for the enjoyable evening and all the best in tomorrow's battles," offering a handshake before he rose to leave. Solidad smiled when she saw that he had kept the Desert's Eye cufflinks she had sent him, in return for the extravagant favor he had done her with the Sea Glaze. The Desert's Eye stone was a strange mineral discovered deep in the far-off deserts of Sinnoh's northeastern island and was said to enhance the abilities of Dragon pokemon and some closely-related species. She convinced herself that it was simply not in good sportsmanship to accept a gift from a competitor and not give one in return.

Once on her own, Solidad made a beeline for the dormitory's computer which connected to the Coordinators' Network. She spent the next few hours scrutinizing each possible competitor's pokemon and battle strategies and worked out how each battle would proceed in her head, as though she were playing a game of chess. It was nearly two in the morning by the time she was done. Satisfied that, barring any shocking match-ups, she had a good idea of how to deal with each coordinator at least for the first round, she slipped under the soft linen covers and allowed herself to drift into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Solidad was on the edge of her seat as she watched the battle between May and Misty in the second round of battles. It was clear that although Misty had the advantage of more years of battling experience, she was still not used to the contest-style battles where an opponent's dodges would count for lost points. Both girls' pokemon were already pretty beat up, and with one minute left on the clock, a quick knock-out was on both their minds.

"Corsola, Spike Cannon!"

"Beautifly, turn it back with Gust!"

"Reflect!"

"Dodge and use Silver Wind!"

"Aim a water gun straight through the center!"

"And time is up ladies and gentlemen! Let's take a look at who will be going into the quarter finals… and it's May by a hair!"

The crowd applauded the girls' exciting performance and May and Misty had met in the center of the field to congratulate each other. The two of them seemed to get along pretty well and Solidad was glad that the competition had not gotten in the way of any of their friendships.

The quarterfinals and up were all double-battles, and it was just May's luck that she was up against Robert next, whom she had lost to by a huge margin to finish in the top eight. On the other stage, Drew was looking extremely self-satisfied to have completely pummeled Harley to proceed to the semifinals, where he had lost to Solidad herself (again) and finished in top four. She had the feeling that the boy never lost his grudge against the cosplaying coordinator after Harley had pulled a fast one on May in the Hoenn Grand Festival and again in the Kanto Mulberry contest. Robert had defeated Grace in the semi-finals, culminating in the top coordinators of Hoenn and Kanto facing off in the Johto grand finals.

The atmosphere could not have been tenser.

Facing her opponent across the field, Solidad had only one thing on her mind – to win. She recalled that day aboard the S.S. Aquaria when the two of them had used the ballroom dance as an excuse to analyze each other, attempting to decipher the other's strengths, weaknesses and personality in a silent test of will, only to come up short as neither had let his or her guard down. She recalled their first and only battle in Violet City, how she had faltered at the last second, and how she had spent the last nine months working toward a solution. She had never taken up his offer for a friendly battle because it would only give him more opportunities to identify _her_ weaknesses. She fingered the Sea Glaze around her neck and smirked as she released her pokemon: Pichu and Butterfree. She would win this, and win this without his help. She could tell that he went by the same principles as he released Claydol and Arcanine, the glint of the cufflinks on his sleeves, calmly poised for the battle-on signal. He raised his hand, as though giving a silent toast with an imaginary glass. She returned the gesture, just as she had that night almost a year ago, aboard the cruise where it all began.

The call for battle-on was given and he had her on the defensive from the very onset, but this didn't worry her. This was the Grand Festival, not the Pokemon league, and it wasn't a disadvantage to be playing defense. It was the most peculiar battle the crowd had seen this whole Festival; the only one where the pokemon seemed to be doing more than the trainers had commanded them to. They worked in perfect synchronicity with each other and against the other team, causing fireworks and explosions across the battlefield. They fought for control, using every technique they could muster, and every strategy that their trainers had imparted on them. Solidad had gone with sacrificing power for speed and accuracy, slowly but surely chipping points away from her opponent while Robert maintained his flair for overwhelming attacks which would have left any less experienced opponent winded within the first minute. Never before had the Grand Festival seen such an even matched duo, and even the MC had simply stopped and stared, completely forgetting her role as an announcer.

There were five seconds remaining on the clock and it looked like the battle might have to go into sudden death mode. Solidad balled her fists knowing that if that happened, her smaller and lighter pokemon might not be able to take any more hits from their larger and more powerful opponents. She needed to end this, and it all came down to the nine months of speed training she had spent on her older pokemon, and the intensive two months she had spent with Pichu in perfecting its speed aim. With one last call for a Bolt Tackle, in one fluid move, Pichu had disappeared from Claydol's approaching rock tomb attack and reappeared atop Arcanine, landing a highly-charged blow and causing the canine to howl in pain. Robert's bar dropped a notch just before the time ran out.

She had done it. She had beaten him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Solidad stood on the shore of the lake which straddled two of Mount Silver's highest peaks. Watching her Lapras gliding happily on the glassy moonlit surface, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of elation and serenity. The Johto Grand Festival was over and she had won. It was the most trying battle she had ever had, and knowing that she had prevailed was enough to give her renewed confidence in her abilities as a coordinator. She had also done her home region proud, defeating the reigning champion of neighboring rival region Hoenn in a battle that would surely go down in the annals of pokemon coordinating. Plus, she was only twenty-three.

She could hear the closing party in the distance, with cheers and whistles as fireworks filled the sky. She had spent about an hour there with her friends and acquaintances, all of whom were showering her with praise and some who had ventured to ask for an autograph. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Robert wasn't there; he had congratulated her after the match and she figured that he would probably already have left to train after the loss. Unconsciously, she reached up and began fiddling with the Sea Glaze pendant, allowing her mind to wander as she watched her pokemon enjoy its time out in the waters; Solidad's way of making it up to her for not using her in the final battle. But she understood why her trainer had done it and was grateful for her care and friendship.

Her flow of thought was disrupted when a beam of red light shot out toward the lake close to where her Lapras was, morphing and coagulating into the graceful form of a sea serpent which disappeared silently beneath the lake's surface. Turning to where the beam had emerged from, she could see a tall shadow standing beneath a nearby tree, his profile illuminated by the silvery moonlight, hands clasped behind his back. For a few moments, they stayed at their respective places and observed the magical scene before them; the two pokemon frolicking beneath the full moon, creating splashes which sparkled with an otherworldly light.

"Hi," he said quietly, approaching her.

"Hi," she replied simply, not daring to face him, not sure how else to respond to a friend she had just defeated in a high-stakes battle. She wasn't Drew, who could just open his mouth and start teasing May for any and every mistake she had made without batting an eyelid. By the time she mustered the courage to turn around, he had brought his hands forward and was twirling a fresh rose in his long slender fingers.

"It seems I've taken a leaf out of our young friend's book," he smiled awkwardly, handing it to her without too much fuss. "Or should I say flower?"

'Thunderstruck' would have been an understatement for Solidad's response to this surprising turn of events. She had to admit that it had crossed her mind, but it never left the realm of wishful thinking – she had left fantasies of guys and romance behind a long time ago, the year she had decided to concentrate more fully on achieving her dream of being a top coordinator. She thanked him and fell silent once more, not realizing that she was still fiddling with the pendant around her neck, the only sign that revealed how nervous she was with the situation. Somewhat jittery himself but finding the sight slightly amusing, Robert grinned and placed his palm over hers, enclosing the Sea Glaze between their fingers and stopping her from very likely twisting it off the chain.

"I see you kept it," he stated, looking directly at her for the first time that night.

It occurred to him that this was the first time he was actually holding her hand – not shaking it after a battle as a rival, not grasping it as a greeting to a friend, not raising it up in the stuffy setting of a ballroom dance. For all the respect he held for her as a coordinator – and now one who had beaten him in the Grand Festival – he couldn't help but be intrigued by the beautiful young lady who could so quickly switch from fixing someone with a piercing, calculating gaze beyond her years, to being so young, innocent and at peace with nature's beauty. That one sunset atop Sprout Tower was the first glimpse he had caught of the latter side of her personality, one which she kept under wraps at any contest or competition.

She met his gaze and decided, for once, not to cross-examine, but to simply see. She pushed aside the thought of contests or battles, and recalled his melodic laughter, his quirky humor, the nervousness with which he had addressed her on several occasions, and saw that it had been more than just wishful thinking. There was something there that she simply hadn't wanted to see, afraid of how it would affect her in her performance. The misty taste of the cool lakeside air triggered an almost-forgotten memory and she allowed her eyes to roam the face of the handsome young man standing before her, realizing the truth in Professor Oak's words.

She wasn't quite aware of when the distance between them had decreased, but she closed her eyes and allowed him to lay a gentle kiss on her lips, nothing more than a brush, neither of them feeling like being too adventurous. A click and a rustle in the bushes in the distance distracted her, followed by some suspiciously familiar giggles. She was about to turn for a better look at the now-retreating figures, but Robert merely chuckled and angled her away from them, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning in for a longer kiss, which she couldn't bring herself to resist.

* * *

"You mean _that_ was the forfeit?!" Solidad exclaimed in mock anger, tossing the Grand Festival magazine onto the coffee table of Robert's dormitory.

She had dropped by for an early morning snack, English breakfast style, before having to clear out of her room, and was perusing the Festival magazine which was published at the end of every Festival and carried highlights of the whole event. The cover of the magazine featured, well, _her_. Being the winner of the inaugural Johto Grand Festival, the magazine had done a seven-page feature on her, with nearly one whole page dedicated to the little episode between the two of them, accompanied by the picture which was evidently taken by their teen friends at the lakeside the previous night. The speculations in the article were hilarious to say the least, but she couldn't blame the publishers for wanting a story out of the two top contenders for this year's Festival.

"Well I assure you that none of it was a lie! The only part of it that involved a forfeit was allowing them to take the picture…" he explained worriedly, plucking at his cuffs in a distinctly nervous fashion. Solidad hadn't really forgotten about the forfeit from the game they had played the day before the battles. Truth be told, she had been suspicious when the Grand Festival closing came and went without any further news from her friends, which was partly the reason she had escaped to the lake. When she had heard the click of the camera, she had known instantly what was in store for her the next morning, but decided to be a bit dramatic about it just for the heck of it. She giggled a bit, seeing the normally poised and confident coordinator lose his nerve over her dramatics and marched over to him with an eyebrow raised.

"Really? Let's see you _mean_ it then," she teased, with a glint of challenge in her eyes – a challenge which he gladly accepted as he playfully pulled her down into the couch with him and silenced any further smart-alec remarks.

'_Next year's Grand Festival is going to be a whole lot different_' she thought wryly, before surrendering to his advances and figuring that she could just enjoy herself on her last day at Mount Silver.

It was funny how all this had started with a simple dinner and dance aboard the S.S. Aquaria a year ago, when he had caught her eye with that silent toast.


End file.
